This is one of my favorite quotes because I understand it so very well. While scientists see math as the universal communicator, I see it as music. I am not a musician, but my life is intertwined with them. I’m a self proclaimed ‘Music Addict’ and I hope I’m never cured. I’m a writer and photographer and I enjoy using these skills to create a way for people to see the music, a way to translate what I feel when I watch shows. I try to be an artist of this language that all can understand. I watch my friends work so hard on their skills, finding their place in the melodies they play. They harmonize in ways that make my soul take flight and when they close their eyes I know they feel it in their soul as well. Those are my favorite moments, as well as when they break out into smiles as they feel the energy of the crowd. These are things I remember well… and apparently for good reason.

Music moves us emotionally but it wires us to the moment. A study from Stanford Medicine (http://stan.md/2vxRNKA) shows that while we drift in our emotions, caught up in the music surrounding us, during moments of quiet or changes in the movement we become very aware. Our minds push to grab onto the next moment and we remember the things happening much more clearly. That time you looked at your love during a concert and watched their eyes shine, when you saw your best friend smiling and throwing horns as they delighted in the sounds of their favorite band… perhaps the moment the lead guitarist seemed to lock eyes with you in the crowd. These are times that will burn into your memory so that you can recall the emotional state surrounding it.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”

The emotions of music connect us to each other and to certain times in our lives. Think of it this way, when you meet a person at a concert and find that they are fans of the same band, you have just made a connection and an important discovery – this person is wired just like you in a way. This goes beyond age, race, lifestyle. Once, sitting outside of a venue, I met a man who had just retired. His wife was shopping and they were visiting Pittsburgh. We began to share music tastes, each looking up songs we loved and sharing them, finding elements in the songs that moved us. I’m metal, he’s country, but we shared something and when his wife came to collect him I heard him telling her, as they walked away, about the band I would be seeing that night, the venue and it’s history, the song he loved that I introduced him to that he wanted her to hear. The connection causes ripples. Shared experience. Even at your loneliest times, you know that you’re not really alone. Happiness, love, sadness, rage, music expresses when we can’t fully put into words things inside of us that we need to let out, even when we can’t find a way. It’s the reason our movies have a soundtrack. Our advertisements have songs written for them.

Your life has a soundtrack too. It changes as you do, the days are happier, angrier or more determined and so is the music you look to hear. Whether you are washing dishes, driving, sitting at work, music helps time go faster. You can find it all around you. You were born with music in you. Your heart beats in drum-like rhythm, breathing creates a supporting pulse like a bass, you began to coo as a baby and delighted at the sound the sounds you made. Music creates it’s own world, a place you can feel everything, live countless lives or remember moments in time. My life is backed by a soundtrack of varying artists, different genres. I may start my day with something classic, end it with something hard. As I write this, I’m listening to Starset – It Has Begun https://youtu.be/XZp3Mtn-YsI. Do you feel the connection? What’s your soundtrack like?

Something brand new at First Angel Media & AK Music Scene – a video interview with one of Pittsburgh’s biggest name bands! Big Atlantic took some time to sit down with Lady Jaye during a recent photo shoot to talk about their music. If you’d like to see a little behind the scenes action, look up First Angel Media’s photography page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FirstAngelMediaPhotos/.

If you don’t know much about this band, now is the time to find out! You may be asking yourself why I would be bringing your attention to a national band when I generally promote the local music scene but the answer is simple – these guys are exactly what I hope to see happen with all of our local musicians! Jonathan Capeci and Joey Beretta are from our beautiful state of Pennsylvania but have reached national acclaim and have one date with Kesha and they’re currently on tour with Saint Mesa. They also have dates with The Struts in early May and Urban Cone in late May.

They have decided to make Spirit, one of the best known venues in Pittsburgh, an off date stop from the tour. They are currently based in Nashville and signed with Interscope Records, which came about from their amazing single “XO”, and continues with the EP “honest” as well as working on a full length release.

Nightly is a play on the words, “Night, Love You”, in our modern world of text and the play on modern themes continues into their music. These guys started into the music scene early in life but were determined to carve their own niche from the very beginning. Once they moved to Nashville they brought in the talents of Stevie Cunsolo (Synth/Keys) and Nicholas Sainato (Drums), forming Nightly and quickly amassing massive attention online as well as becoming part of the regular rotation on Nashville’s ALT 98.3 radio station. Considered an alternative Indie-pop band they refuse to fall into the category of average and instead excel in making their music stand out by refusing to dress up casual lyrics with typical radio play instrumentals. They have gone so far because their lyrics are based on a deeper emotional feeling than you would expect and their songs reach through ranges of vocal and instrumental usage that aren’t typical with other bands in their category. While “XO” is a sample of their work, it is only one aspect of their music. Their “honest” EP features several songs and on review the phrases “soaring vocals”, “sprawling guitar work” and “hard hitting rhythms” are certainly not what you would expect from any band considered part of the ‘pop’ culture but certainly something you experience with their special brand of music.

These cousins took their dedication to music to a new level at every chance, and took chances at every turn. Starting with matching Fender Squier Strats as kids (the oldest of them being only 13 at the time), they began playing in bands and experimenting with song writing at the ages of 15 and 17, respectively. While they did try the ‘normal’ approach to life by heading to college, they quickly realized music was their true passion and left the college experience behind them for one so many only dream of. Their hard work, dedication and refusal to compromise their music has not only led to making a name for themselves in an industry so many find it hard to break into, it has brought them to a place where they belong. This place is a musicians dream, writing their songs with passion and energy while being able to share those musical creations with their audience in a way that connects their emotions about real world situations to fans both new and current.

Music has the ability to transcend age and genre and with the talent displayed by these musicians you will quickly be drawn into their world. Check out their video for “XO”, a song written about the strange situation we often find ourselves in of being only half heartedly in a relationship that could cause more harm than good despite the love we have for the other person, on YouTube here http://bit.ly/2lTyQKa but remember, there’s more than just this melodic piece up their sleeves for a night in Pittsburgh at the beautiful and relaxed Spirit Lodge. It’s always great to have the opportunity to see a touring band and even more so when you’re welcoming musicians from your home state. We are blessed to be a city where talent like this can be brought to us live and even more so in a setting where you are up close but in comfort and style. Let’s show them that Pittsburgh love of music and support of those who have come from our home state by welcoming them to the stage in our amazing town. The doors open at 8 p.m. so be sure to get there early and let them prove themselves to be the band you heard about here by catching this show from the very beginning. Find out more about them through their website http://www.nightloveyou.com/ or Facebook page http://bit.ly/2mAlXtA, as well as finding other tour dates you may want to follow or tell your friends about!

As I write this it is very late at night. I just finished my outline for bands and other things I want to tell you about but I finished my tasks and checked out Facebook, and then I had to write. There’s this drummer I know, really a down to earth kind of guy, and he doesn’t post anything but memes really. Musician memes to be exact. I have never seen anyone be so poignant and touching without saying a word. Today I saw one about being a musician and being passionate about it. I made me start thinking about how passionate all of you are…and do you even know it?

See, I’m a people watcher as well as having a pretty large amount of schooling in psychology and mental health. I don’t just watch, I kind of study the people around me. It’s why I love live shows. The last show I went to was Saturday, in this nice little bar not far from my house. The crowd is a mix of family, friends, fans, strangers, and regulars. It gets pretty interesting. At the start of the night everyone is in their little bubble – groups formed of those who know each other well and they really don’t mingle. The regulars just wanted a beer and good food. Some of them had just gotten off work and this was a stop along their way. It was packed though, that’s for sure. A quick look around and I see people who are rather uncomfortable as checklists are gone over for the show and people in the crowd try to decide if they want to stay, some thinking they want to leave before that weird kid with the long hair gets up there – (Is that face paint?? Ugh, and that one in the hoodie has on eyeliner.) Other musicians who are part of the crowd feel anxious for those about to take the stage. Especially the one in the hoodie, he’s been sick with a fever of over 100 degrees the last few days and they are worried for him. I get my camera ready and scan the crowd waiting for the magic I know is going to appear. I watch it happen every time and never get sick of it.

The band takes the stage and some people prepare to leave. Then those first chords are struck… and so are they. Even out of the corner of my eye the reaction in the crowd makes me smile to myself. People ask all the time why I always look so happy… How can I not? I watch these people who have never heard this band pull out money to pay their tab but when the music starts, they sit back down. They look to the stage with surprise or they close their eyes. Some of them blink a few times and seem to look inward at their own reaction. All of them are touched. As the night goes on those little closed off groups begin to loosen and by the end of the night you don’t know who belongs with who. People chatting about this being the first show or one of five hundred, discovering new music, new musicians, new friends are made, new fans are found.

Do you know that you do this? I don’t care if you are a musician or not….do you know the passion for music inside of you? Some people like books, some like movies…there is not a person alive who doesn’t like some type of music. It’s inside of us.

If you are a musician, think about it. You tap into a part of yourself that not everyone has. It’s a gift. At times you think it’s a curse because it is so much a part of you that you live and breathe it above all else…but that…that is a passion burning in you that no one else can touch. You live with a flame inside of you that cannot be fed in any way other than you giving in to it and becoming even better at translating it’s desire. You think of music so much. You don’t just make music, music makes you who you are. If you are not a musician, you are a fan of music. You grew up making sounds that you liked. Hitting things to create a beat, stopping in wonder at the loud noises at parades, festivals. Maybe you listen to water and nature, but that is a rhythm all it’s own. We like different types of music, but we all like music. For people who don’t play, live music is the closest they get to the fire that burns so many. A friend once told me he mourned “The Death of the Rock Star” and I think we all do. Singing in the shower isn’t singing to ourselves. Our mind wanders and takes us onto a stage. We channel our inner rock star….even if the neighbors are using earplugs because we can’t sing a single note well. The magic is in the energy from that flame inside these men and women and the talent they have to connect us all. Flame or not, we whistle, hum, sing. Tap pencils in cubicles, feet in elevators. Our very hearts beat in time with some special cosmic beat. Music let’s us feel the connection. We are freed and connected because there are others who share our emotions and our needs. This isn’t just life, this is nourishment for our souls and I want you to start watching people yourself. They move with a rhythm. Headphones aren’t put on to stare ahead motionless and unblinking. Eyes close, smiles begin, heads move. Factory workers pick up the pace and mailmen get a spring in their step.

Music is powerful. It is inspiring. I think our souls were made with music in mind and at the end of this journey we are greeted by sounds and tones and beats that we have tried to mimic in life. These will resonate within us, and this will be Heaven. Until then, live music is the closest we will get. Passion is within us, and it is stirred by those first chords that reach into us and wake us from every day slumber. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to. Find some bands that interest you and be part of the crowd touched by their energy and warmed by their flame. I’m not here just because the music scene needs you….I know how bad you need the music scene. Get out. Have fun. Make memories. Above all – LIVE.

Who remembers Kindergarten?? Let’s see those hands. Criss-Cross-Applesauce to sit down, Duck Duck Goose (seriously, though, who came up with that !?!) Yep, that’s what we usually remember. That and any tadpoles we watched turn into frogs and such. However, that’s not ALL we remember. Those are our memories but our actions show the world what we learned. We are brought into this world kicking and screaming, totally selfish, but also totally dependent on others. Feed us NOW, change us NOW, that’s MY toy. Of course, parents never really allow that. Yes, the basic needs are met immediately but that ego? The selfish part of our brains that doesn’t want to share? Nope. We are taught from the time we have some understanding that those things must go. Kindergarten is normally our first experience playing in large groups, learning to be silent, attempting to make friends. We are given examples of how to act but we also had other kids going through this with us at the same time. Kindergarten is usually held away from the rest of the school, an isolated bunch really, but as we grow we are put into bigger systems, with basically the same rules – just learning bigger ideas. Middle school happens and they start to change things again, move around the people you are used to. Your best friend is in another home room. You have to decide…do you sit down and shut up and stay apart because it’s new, or do you reach out and adapt to the change in your surroundings? I think some of you see where this is going.

“Forever ago” musicians were great celebrities. They have always lived this slightly off the beaten path type of life, always had stories surround them, too many parties, too much booze, too many women, but always good people to their fans. Always appreciating their social status, teaming up with newcomers to help them in the business. Trying new things and adapting. Somewhere along the line, they went off track. The music became more wild and energetic, persona’s were born to reflect that and the lifestyles became so extravagant that some of them just…well…died. Literally. Suddenly they saw the real face behind the musicians – what I call Beautiful Madness. The most creative artists of any type are touched with madness, tempers, confusing thoughts that wouldn’t make sense to so many. My temperamental musicians is how I think of them. So angry but so in need of love and understanding. (Cue Sarah McGlaughlin “In the Arms of an Angel”….Just saying..) But a funny thing happened when this side was revealed – the fans understood! They finally got why they felt so caught up in the music because they had been there too at times in their lives! But then came the ego’s again, those things we were taught from Kindergarten, if not before, to let go of. A generation of music was born again, this time still wanting THEIR TOY. Ridiculous clauses were put into contracts for all green rooms to have a large bowl of only blue M&M’s, 1003 yellow and pink tipped roses and someone to fan them as they were fed grapes. The egos went unchecked, the demands and lifestyles became so ludicrous that one day someone looked at the demands and said…No. Of course, by this point they were lip synching to songs to save their voice (though I don’t know what they were saving it for), and they worried more about dance routines in undergarments than lyrics. And this is what the nation saw. An entire generation of music that somehow forgot what we were taught in our formative years. Suddenly music was a joke. One song-writer wrote for country, metal, and pop bands, it was all watered down to try to save the image. Poor promotions in the way of “Win this music battle and we will make you a star” were televised. Do you know I get people from other countries contacting me because the world thinks that in America as long as you don’t suck horribly they will make a star out of you? I can’t convince them otherwise. Now there is so much mechanical engineering that you can sell millions of records and not know how to carry a tune. “I’m a musician on stage but not in real life” is being sold to the entire world!!

So, what can little old me do, right? I mean, we are just one city. Just a few hundred bands in the world. Just a handful of promoters and venues.

Well, we don’t have to change the whole world. We just have to light a fire under our own butt !! Let’s get this down to basics and start it over. Remember, you were taught to share (the spotlight), you had to adapt to the new rules (promoting others, giving credit to others, building up others, changing the way you’ve been doing things). I really am not certain when this will be published but I was inspired to write this today. I issued a “challenge” of sorts to the music community to share other bands pages for likes on Facebook and I was NOT disappointed. Some simply shared one or two. Others spent their free time posting pages every few hours, more stated they plan on making this a regular thing and one guy even listed 30 bands in one post !!

I told you there was a movement in this city. I told you it is the simple things like finding a station playing local music, sharing bands. I’ll tell you another thing – this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. We are going to change this music scene and we are going to let the public have their Beautiful Madness minus throwing egos around. They crave what you can give them, not perfection but feeling. You need them to hear you. Guess what…sharing your fans is ok. Sharing that spotlight is awesome! You talk about others who in turn talk about you….and we watch the tadpoles turn into fully developed musicians in a high functioning music community. We meet new friends, new contacts, and we adapt…..because when you hit it big you will be FORCED to adapt. So start now. Stop telling everyone how you hope one day you might get seen and be a gleam in the eye of a national act, and begin grooming yourself for when YOU are that act. If you have decided you’re happy being Pittsburgh Famous, that’s fine, but support the one’s getting started. Show them the monkey bars you already climbed and give them tips on getting to the top. Like it or not, this is happening. If you are mired in the old ways of thinking, if you are guarded and jaded….look at your kids. What lessons are you wanting them to learn? And why aren’t you acting the way you want them to? This doesn’t begin with the next generation of music. It began the day you were born with the ability to make music. The moment you heard those first chords and were hooked. The things you need to make this scene great are already inside of you – get back to basics isn’t just an idea. It’s the thing this scene needs the most. Beautiful Madness and a love for each other will bring this whole city to a new level.

I am a firm believer that a band should have a band website. At first, I thought it was because I designed websites and have a love for local music. I’d also bet that a lot of people would have the same opinion. Back in November 2014, I wrote an article on this very website about how to build your own website on a budget. I believe that you need a website so whole-heartedly, that I wrote an article telling you how to get one without paying me to design it! I even wrote an article on how to choose your web hosting to help you take the guessing game out of that process.

So what I did next was do a little research on the topic. I’ve found many websites that agree with me and I wanted to share a few of them with you, the bands, some reasons that you may want to give a website a shot again.

The first site I came across was CD Baby, which I would considered a pretty good resource for bands. They gave 5 reasons why a band should have a website:

Having your own website/domain makes you look professional.

People want a one-stop destination: a place that is ONLY about your band and is a guide to where you and your brand can be found online.

You are at the center of the experience: this isn’t the case on social media, people can easy find another band to move onto on Facebook.

Your own site gives you total control: You control everything from the look, updates, what is available, you don’t have to pay to advertise your shows, etc

Social Media Platforms come and go: Think about how huge MySpace used to be. What about the current move of the younger generations from Facebook to Snapchat…

You can read more about what CD Baby believes about your need for a website at their DIY Musician section here. Moving on I found an article on Make It In Music’s website that provides 13 reasons (some of them repeated) on the importance of having a website versus just using social media.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying replace your social media homes. Social media is definitely a necessity and helps you get your information out to the masses, but as we all know, what your post on your Facebook pages isn’t even seen by all of your followers, which brings us back to being able to control your content and what is available to your fan base (and future fans!)

As the owner and operator of several websites based on the local music scene, it is hard to track down all the information that I would like to share about your bands. This is because that informattion is scattered amongst 3 or more social media websites. Having a hub of information for your band and brand is important. It not only helps you get valuable information out to you fan base, but it allows the media to to find it easily as well.

I have designed quite a few band websites and websites dedicated to furthering the music scene over the years. I am willing to help you with your websites. That could mean that I design it for you, or you design it. If you partake in making your own site, I am available to help you for free. I have been working with bands and their websites, as well, websites that help drive the local music scene since 1995

In my last article I talked about the music scene, the movements to help it grow, the positive change……now here’s something you can do to help. Listen to stations that play local music! Bands don’t want air time so they can hear themselves on the radio, the station doesn’t call them up and tell them their song is about to play so they can drop everything they are doing and run to the radio to brag about “This is me!!”. What’s important about getting played is getting more people to hear them and decided that the song (or songs) are good enough that they want to hear them live. When you listen to a national station, hey, that’s great. But you’ll hear a lot of the same stuff on all the stations that everyone else in the world is listening to. Listening to a radio station that plays your local music is something no one outside your area is going to hear – along with the bonus of being able to tell everyone how you’ve been listening to them for years before anyone else when they do go national. The Pennsylvania Rock Show is an example of a station getting these artists out there to you. Am I the only one who likes to hear interviews with my favorite bands? You learn about the people behind the music, do you like them? Hate them? Who knows if you never heard them talk. Then you get to head out to their show and let them know you heard their podcast, or their song on the radio. That shows them you really are being supportive! Are you aware that many of the local DJ’s for Adrenaline 101 are in local bands? They know how important it is to play local music so you hear the big national bands, the big local bands, and some of the lesser known locals, too. These DJ’s are often doing this for the love of music and to support local musicians, there is not that much money in local or internet radio, if any. So you’re not hearing what they are being paid to say, you are getting a DJ who honestly loves to do their job. That’s not fake enthusiasm, that’s for real!

Is it really this simple? You can support your local music scene by just listening to the radio while you drive to work, do dishes, pay your bills online? YES!! In fact, a new addition to AK Music Scene is a constant stream of unsigned tracks from local artists that you can tune into any time you want! Let them know you appreciate it by getting those listening hours in! Any time you tune in to the music scene you are helping to support it. Maybe you like a song, so you request it, and now that band is getting recognition for their hard work and the radio wants to play more of their stuff, in turn getting them more exposure…..yeah, you’ve heard that word. It’s almost a dirt word in the music industry but THIS is the right kind of exposure that you don’t have to pay for. Well, unless you like the band enough to check them out and buy their CD’s! Here’s a list of some of the stations I know of, feel free to add to it and get it out there! Let’s tune in and turn on to the local scene you didn’t know you needed so bad!

http://www.977rocks.com/grass-roots-2/
(97.7FM The Rock Station’s show about the local music scene! These guys even broadcast other people who do radio shows to help them get more attention and strengthen the scene)

I’m the owner of First Angel Media and while I’m sure you want to know more about that, I’d rather tell you about something far more important – The Pittsburgh Music Scene. If you’ve heard my interview then you know I’ve been in music scene’s since I was 14. I’d always been under the impression that Pittsburgh was THE place for music. If you played in Pittsburgh, well that was just an honor. I saw some of it first hand at concerts and I always pictured it being the center for a love of music. Recently I came out of hiding, so to speak, and back to my music addiction. I began going to see live music again….and it didn’t let me down. I sat in the back of the bar, out of the way, letting the music flow over me. The electric sounds finding that place deep inside and bringing me back to life. The bass making my heart keep time, the beat of the drums making me move slightly in time. The guitars can bring out bliss and live vocals, well, there is nothing like live vocals. A single person standing on stage using words to seduce, to kill, no digital mix – the true talent searching your soul. And then there are those moments. Those moments when the music hits a sweet spot and you can literally FEEL these musicians feeding their very being into it. I was once again in love, enraptured, my addiction stronger than ever. Music has never let me down – but the crowds did. Over and over I paid my small fee to enter a venue and watch an amazing on stage performance to a “crowd” of five to fifteen people. For those of you not familiar with what I mean, I’ll gloss over it a bit. That means that a sound person was hired, Lights were run automatically or a light tech ran them, and approximately four people cleared their entire night, practiced for weeks and gave their very soul into playing….for five people.

I couldn’t believe it. When I left the scene you could count on a crowded house for pretty much any venue, any band. So, being me, I searched for the cause. Oh man did I find them. Yes, them. So much more than one cause. First and foremost – people believed the scene to be “dead” but I’m here to tell you, the further down the rabbit hole you go, the more you see it was just asleep for a little while…and it’s had it’s coffee mixed with Red Bull to wake it up! Bands always come and go, that’s the nature of the beast, you don’t give up on music just because one band you liked stopped playing. Music is LIFE. It is needed, it is necessary and it is here for eternity. When this world is no more, eaten by a black hole, burnt to ashes by the sun’s explosion, or a vast barren landscape due to our own destruction of ourselves….the very stars themselves will make a noise in space, that noise will travel through galaxies, and the gods will sit up and listen to even that sweet sound. This scene is not dead, it’s the person on the other side of the bar that you notice and wonder about. That mysterious stranger you want to explore. So come find it. The ego’s are dying, there is so much love and support between musicians that there is an actual movement to bring back what belongs not just to the music community but to everyone else as well. Some venue owners are finding new ways to help bring in crowds because they remember the high sales on live music nights and want to see that prosperity again. Musicians who were ready to give up have seen this, and with new flames in their hearts are once again getting out there to show their talent. Oh the things I will tell you in our time together on this site…this scene is alive, vibrant, driven and sexy.

It’s time. The movement has started and it will not be stopped. I stand before you as the voice of one person in this scene, but behind me are thousands of others. They are the musicians who move you, the promoters who help you feed your addiction, the event planners who put on the shows you will talk about for weeks, the radio hosts and DJ’s who introduce you to the local music you might miss otherwise…and there are even more. Join us in this change, this new world we are creating. We are not content to wait for the gods to listen to the stars… We will force them to sit up and listen to us now, and revel in what is created here.

.It’s time for me to channel my inner Hilljack and rant for a few moments! There is a movement happening on the internet right now to unite the music scenes throughout the tri-state area. I think that the AK Valley and surrounding areas have done a great job creating an amazing scene, no make that family of bands that work together for a common goal. I am so happy that the scene has allowed me to interact with them as a blogger and podcaster for over 20 years! You are not in this alone. There are many resources out there willing to help, and many of them are free to help promote the scene. What I’m trying to get at it, is USE them!

Social Media

Social media can be both a detriment and a godsend when it comes to bands. You should be posting about your band and their upcoming shows, news, cds and so on, BUT, do not rely solely on Social Media. It can help, but it isn’t the only answer. When posting on social media, I suggest tagging the other bands playing the show with you and using hashtags so that people can search the show easily. You need to have a website or some sort of online presense, you need to be posting flyers (PS Venues I’m talking to you here, too!), you need to be sharing shows and resources with other bands and people in the scenes. Together we can take our scenes to higher places.

Our Part in This

When I started AK Music Scene and the Pennsylvania Rock Show back in 2004 my goal was to help build the scene, I have some growing to do still too, BUT the scene has grown and it has began to prosper, and it will get noticed! But why not work together and speed up the process? Why not start linking some local scenes and trade some shows, you’ll make John Lane happy by doing that. John is a staunch support of the AK Valley and Pittsburgh Scenes while he’s out hitting the road in the Akron scene! Lady Jay can help us pull in the West Virginia scene, too.

Would you like to have your music played on the Pennsylvania Rock Show. We’re always looking for guests, just drop us an e-mail. Do you have an upcoming CD Release, epic event, shows, want a cd, show, or song review, have a tip or trick to share with our scene, want to do a guest article, or just some information that you’d like to get out to the masses? We have AK Music Scene at your disposal to disperse information about our scene. If you have something you want to discuss about the local music scene, that’s where our new website/podcast, Podcast your Scene, comes in. We are also using Podcast your Scene as a home for podcasts that feature local music.

AK Music Scene and the Pennsylvania Rock Show had over 1 million hits last year alone. I’m offering that to you, for free!

Podcasting?!?

As far as my call for interaction goes, we’ve been doing a lot of that around here lately. John Lane, of The Hellfire Club, has started to kick his podcast, The American Hilljack Files into gear. We’ve helped him get it setup and into some directories. Bill has even guest hosted it with him. His podcast is a very to the point look at the OH and PA music scenes.

We have also been involved in the evolution of another podcast called, The Weekly RockBlog. It is hosted by Brian Shaffer of The Free Peanuts Band. The Weekly RockBlog is devoted to new up and coming music from across the state and beyond. It will review new music of all genres, talk about current musical trends, offer insight into local scenes across the country and provide some tips and tricks on promotion.

First Angel Media

In the Pennsylvania Rock Show’s last episode we interviewed Jana Lee Macheca of First Angel Media. First Angel Media was founded to help promote the Pittsburgh music scene. It has evolved to photography, promotion of shows, written articles, and CD as well as show reviews. Working behind the scenes to help bands find venues as well as helping to promote a supportive and positive environment for all musicians. There is also an element for national and international bands, reviews and articles have reached across the USA and into other countries. Contact First Angel Media if you can use these services, fees stay low – it’s about the music. Jana is a staff writer at The Heavy Metal ICU and Adrenaline 101 Radio. In the coming weeks you will see her start to provide music articles here on AK Music Scene under her writing name, Lady Jaye, as well.

Let us know in the comments, how we can help you! Or let us know how you feel about this article, or even some of your own ideas to help the unification hit the ground running!